About
ten Chadian soldiers died in fighting to free two towns in northern Nigeria
previously held by Boko Haram, the first gains against the militants made in a
joint offensive launched with Niger at the weekend, military sources said on
Monday [Mar. 9]. About 30 Nigerien and Chadian soldiers were wounded in clashes
over Malam Fatouri and Damasak, a day after thousands of troops crossed the
border to retake areas held by the Sunni Islamist group, whose insurgency has
forced Nigeria to delay an election and neighbours to mobilise their armies.

A
Chadian officer, who asked not to be named, said about ten Chadian soldiers
were killed and 20 wounded in fighting to liberate the towns. There was no
official comment from Chad's army. "We have kicked the enemy out of these
areas and they are now under our control," one of the Niger military
sources said.

Damasak,
the town furthest into Nigeria, is 10 km (6 miles) south of the Niger border,
where Niger and Chadian troops have been massing in recent weeks ahead of the
offensive.

A
medical source in Diffa, the capital of the Niger region which borders Boko
Haram's heartland in Nigeria's northeast, said 30 wounded soldiers had been
admitted to the town's hospital. The Niger military source said about 300 Boko
Haram militants had been killed. There was no official confirmation of the toll
and it was not possible to verify the figure.

"We
had permission from Nigeria for this action," the source said. There was
no immediate comment from Nigeria, which has launched its own offensive against
the militants, whose gains forced Nigeria to delay elections that were due in
February.

Boko
Haram's 6-year insurgency, who aims to carve out a caliphate in Nigeria's
northeast, has killed thousands. The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic
State, which rules a self-declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria,
according to an audio clip posted online on Saturday.

Cameroon,
Chad, Niger and Benin have this year mobilised forces to help Nigeria defeat
the group after it seized swathes of territory and mounting cross-border
attacks. Nigeria and its neighbours have been working to pull together plans
and rules of engagement for a regional force of 8,700 troops but cooperation
between the region's armies has been strained at times.